Swivel cap for lifting jacks



SWIVEL CP FOR LIFTING JACKS Filed Dec. 27, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l figa.

m6722117'.- Iankll. Gormley,

July 11, 1939. F. L. GoRMLl-:Y 2,165,366

l I swIvEL CAP FOR LIFTING JAcxs Filed Dec. 27, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fig. 3

Patented July 11, 1939 PATENT OFFICE l v v 2,165,366 SWIVEL cAP Foa LIFTING JAoKs Frank L. Gormley,- Chicago, Ill., assigner to The Buda Company, Harvey, Ill., a corporationy of Illinois Application December 27, 1938, Serial No. 247,876

6 Claims. (Cl. 254-133) This invention relates to lifting jacks and particularly to the caps superimposed on the upper ends of the vertically movable rack bars.

. The objectY of the present invention is to pro- '5 Vide the upper end of the rack bar with a re'- movable cap rotatable about a vertical axis and provided withfsupportsfor` either Va6. lchain or a liftingl hook; 2

This and other desired objects vare attained by lo the mechanism illustrated in-tl'ie accompanying drawings. l

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, one preferred form thereof is illustrated in the drawings, this form having been found to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the Various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized, and the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described except as required by the scope ofthe appended claims.

' Of the drawings I v Figure 1 represents an elevation of a lifting jack embodying the principles of the present invention. Y

Figure 2 represents an elevation of a portion of a chain with a hook thereon', said chain being adapted to be supported on the cap of the rack IE-lbarofsaidjack- Figure 3 represents a plan of the cap and a hook Vsupported thereon. Y 1

Figure 4 represents a vertical Asection of same on line 4, 4on Fig. 3.

3.3. Figure 5 represents a side elevation of` the same. l

Figure 6 represents a vertical section of the cap on line 6, 6 on Fig. 3.

Figure 7 represents a horizontal section of the 4o cap on line 'I, 1 on Fig. 4, and y Figure 8 represents an elevation of the upper end of the rack bar of the jack.

Similar characters indicate like parts throughout the vseveral figures of the drawings.'`

45 In the drawings, I0 is a base member to which an arm I I of the jack casing I2l is pivoted at I3.

At the upper endA of the casing I2 is a handle I 4 by which the jack may be moved from place to place.

5o Extending from one side of the casing I2 is a lever socket I5 adapted to be operated to actuate the mechanism within the 'casing I2 and adapted to raise the rack bar I6.

As this operating mechanism within the cas- 55 ing I2 is the general construction shown in U. S.

Patent No. 2,135,938, issued to applicant, Novem ber 8, 1938, it is deemed to be unnecessary to illustrate the lsame in detail.

The lower vend of the rack bar I5 has a lifting foot I I extending outwardly therefrom. v 5 Opposite the foot I1 the arm II is provided with a notch I8 with which coacts a pawl I9 pivoted at 20 to the base I0.

This pawl has an extension 2| between which and the base I6 is a spring 22 normally forcing 10 the pawl I9 in the direction of the arrow a on Fig.Y 1 of the drawings.

When it is desired to retain the casing I2 vertical, the said casing is moved into its vertical position and the toe 23 of the pawl will enter the 15 notch I8 and hold the casing in vertical position.

When it is desired to have the casing I2 inclined as shown in Fig. l, the operator with his foot depresses the extension 2| against the tension of the spring 22 and this will allow the 20 casing to be moved into such inclined position.

This is preferably the position when the shoe 24 is to be supported upon the cap 25 mounted on the upper end of the rack bar I6.

It will be noted that when in this position the 25 shoe 24 will depend vertically from the cap 25.

The upper face of the cap 25 is notched as indicated lat 26 to prevent slipping of any load placed upon said notched upper face.

The cap 25 has depressions 28 formed in the 30 upper end thereof, these depressions being oppositely disposed and diametrical to the axis of the cylindrical portion 29 formed on the upper end of the ra'ck bar I6.

The lower walls of the depressions 28 are 35 curved as indicated at 30 in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

These depressions are adapted to receive two links 3| of the chain 32 shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the intermediate link 33 connecting 40 the links 3| resting on the bottom of the depression 34 in the upper end of the cap 25.

- The chain 32 may have secured to one end thereof a hook member 35 adapted to be connected to a load to be lifted.

This cap is slightly elongated as shown in Fig. 3 and at its elongated end it has a semi-cylindrical depression 36 to' receive the trunnions 31 forming a part of the shoe 24. 50

This end of the cap 25 is cut away at 38 to receive the upper end 39 of the shoe 24 and permit free movement thereof about the axis of the trunnions 31.

The ends of these trunnions 31 coact with the 55 inwardly extending flanges 40 to prevent the a'ccidental displacement of the shoe when in use.

It is obvious that when the shoe 24 is not to be used it may be easily lifted and removed from the cap 25.

'Ihe cylindrical portion 29 of the rack I6 has an annular groove 4I cut therein and the cylindrical socket 42 formed in the under side of the cap 25 has an annular groove 43 formed therein.

When the cap 25 is positioned on the cylindrical portion 29 of the rack bar I6 the grooves 4I and 43 are in the same plane.

The depth of the groove 43 is greater than the depth of the groove 4I.

In these grooves 4I, 43 is disposed a spring snap ring 44, the ends 45 of which radiate from the axis of the cylindrical portion 29, as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

In order to prevent friction when the cap 25 is rotated on the cylindrical end 29, it is made of a thickness considerably less than the Width of the grooves 4I and 43.

The inner diameter of this snap ring 44 snugly fits the inner cylindrical wall of the groove 4I in the cylindrical portion 29.

Betweenthe outer cylindricalk wall of the snap ring 44 and the inner cylindrical wall of the groove 43 there is ample space as shown in Fig. 7 to permit the spring snap ring to be expanded When it is desired to remove the cap from the rack bar or secure such cap to said rack bar.V4

While inserting the cylindrical portion 29 of the rack bar I6 into the cap or removing the same from said cap, theV snap ring 44 will remain in the groove 43 and will not be displaced therefrom.

When it is desired to remove the cap 25 from the rack bar I6, the jack is placed on its side and then the cap is turned until the ends 45 of the snap ring 44' point upwards.

The operator then, with some such tool as a screw driver inserted between the ends 45, may then cause the snap ring 44 to expand suciently in the groove 43 to -permit the cap 25 to be removed from the rack bar I5.

When replacing the cap 25 on the end of the rack bar I6 it is only Vnecessary to open the ends of the snap ring and then force theV end 29 through the snap ring, the extreme end of the cylindrical portion 29 of the rack bar being beveled to assist in this operation.

As soon as the grooves 4i, 43 are in the same plane the snap ring 44 will move into the groove 4I of the cylindrical portion 29.

By mounting the cap member 25 upon the cylindrical end 29 of the rack bar I6 in the manner herein described, it is obvious that the cap 25 may be readily moved about the axis of the cylindrical portion 29 of the yrack bar I6 so that the shoe 24' may be utilized on any one of three sides of the casing, and the same is true when the chain 33 is secured to the cap member as heretofore described.

It is always necessary that the cap 25 should swivel on the end of the rack bar but it has been found very desirable to provide some means whereby this cap 25 may be fastened to the end of the rack bar I 6 in such a manner that it may be removed easily and this result is obtained by the construction herein shown and described.

Heretofore, manufacturers have mounted a cap on the end of the rack bar by permitting the rounded end of the rack bar to be inserted through the cap and then upsetting the end, allowing only such clearance as Will permit the cap to turn freely.

'I'his has been found to be very unsatisfactory as in order to remove the cap from the rack bar, ithas been found necessary to chip away the heading on the rack bar in order to remove the Cap.

'Ihis is a very diioult job to do in view of the fact that the rack bar has been heat treated and hardened.

Once a cap 25 mounted as just described has been removed from the cylindrical portion 29 of a rack bar, it is almost impossible to replace the capand securely fasten the same to the rack bar.

By the means herein shown and described the difficulty of mounting and demounting the cap on the Y cylindrical end of the rack bar is entirely eliminated.

It is believed that the operation and many advantages of the invention will beV understood without further description.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A lifting jack comprising a vertically mov-- able and non-rotatable `bar having a cylindrical upper end provided With an annular flat sided groove in the periphery thereof, a rotatable cap therefor having in the bottom thereof a socket fitting said cylindrical upper end and provided with a deep annular flat sided groove in the inner wall thereof, and a ilat sided snap ring positioned in said grooves and preventing displacement of said cap, said ring being free from contact with the side walls of the groove in said cap.

2. A lifting jack as set forth in claim l, in which the depth of the groove in the cap is much greater than the depth of the groove in the cylindrical upper end of the non-rotatable bar.

3. A lifting jack as set forth in claim l, in which means is provided whereby the snap ring While in the groove of the cap may be expanded and removed from the annular groove in the cylindrical upper end of the non-rotatable bar.

4. A lifting jack asset forth in claim 1, in which the opposite ends of the snap ring are substantially radial toV the center of said ring, extend beyond the periphery of said cap, and are normally in Contact.

5. A lifting jack as set forth in claim 1, in which the thickness of said snap ring is considerably less than the. Width of the outer of said grooves, and the diameter of said outer groove is considerably greater than that of said snap ring.

6. A lifting jack as set forth in` claim l, in which the snap ring `is flat sided and normally impinges only on the inner wall of the groove in the cylindrical end of the vertically movable bar with its outer edge extending slightly into the deep groove of said cap.

FRANK'L. GORMLEY. 

